The Apples of Youth

by FullMoonOcean

The Apples of Youth were, originally, what granted the Aesir immortality. And yes, if a human were to eat one, their years would extend to that of an Asgardian's. But that hasn't happened for a very long time.

1. Prologue

Special thanks to Chrysanthemum5 for brainstorming the idea with me!

I own neither Thor, the D'aulaires' book of Norse Mythology, nor The Illustrated book of Myths.

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Prologue

Idunn was the bearer of the apples of youth, and she happily split them among the Asgardians, or Aesir, as there were so few that they had to be cut into small pieces. At least, that's what the legends tell us. In truth, she found the first apple tree and since then they have prospered in Asgard since before the reign of Odin's father. If not for these apples, the Asgardians would die at the same rate as humans do. However, they have been consumed for so many millennia that eating of one isn't even necessary for the longevity that the Asgardians enjoy. Now, that's not to say that they're no longer eaten. Quite the contrary in fact, as Asgardians enjoy these golden apples perhaps even more than their human neighbors. They do, however maintain their potency. If a human eats a bite, or even if a golden apple is diluted, perhaps with other apples in a juice, their life will still be extended as an Asgardians is, and as no Asgardian has truly died of old age since the art of record keeping began, nobody truly knows how long they live. Nobody even knows if they can die of age. Clever humans have, occasionally, tricked their way into recieving an apple. But, that has not happened for a long, long time...